October 30, 2012 10:36pm EDTOctober 29, 2012 2:16pm EDTAs usual this time of year, five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is surging back to the top, and possibly to a sixth title. Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, meanwhile, are becoming three of the year's biggest flops.

Risers

Jimmie Johnson: Johnson didn’t make the biggest gain in the points standings Sunday, but he may have made the biggest move of the season. By winning at Martinsville, Johnson leaped to the top of the standings at the most critical time of the year. His fourth win of the season—and seventh of his career at Martinsville—gave him the Chase lead with just three races remaining and for just the third time this season.

As usual, Five-Time is peaking at just the right time.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: No matter how much you fault him for trying to race with a concussion, Earnhardt has done and said all the right things since realizing he had a significant injury. By sitting out for two races, he sent a message to fellow drivers about the dangers of concussions and showed that, though costly, it’s OK to stay on the sidelines while recovering from a serious injury. After his forthcoming interview on Friday at Martinsville, hopefully, other drivers will follow his lead.

Aric Almirola: Since being united with crew chief Todd Parrott seven races ago, Almirola has shown tremendous potential. He finished 12th three weeks ago at Charlotte. Then he led 69 laps at Kansas before wrecking. At Martinsville on Sunday, he finally put it all together, matching his career high with a fourth-place finish.

It couldn’t come at a better time for Almirola, either, as he is hoping to land a new contract for next year with Richard Petty Motorsports. RPM would be wise to re-sign Almirola and keep he and Parrott together.

Fallers

Denny Hamlin: Martinsville was supposed to be the place where Hamlin surged back into the thick of the championship race. Instead, he and his Joe Gibbs Racing team shot themselves in the foot and eliminated themselves from championship contention at a track where they could have won.

Two speeding penalties derailed Hamlin, but he came back from both of them and was racing for the lead—and the win—again when the master control switch on his car broke, causing his car to stall. His 33rd-place finish dropped him to 49 points behind Johnson and out of title contention.

Hamlin has won five races this year and thought this might be his best chance to win a championship. But mistakes and mechanical problems have hampered him all season and hurt him again at the worst possible time.

Tony Stewart: Wow, what a difference a year makes. At this time last year, Stewart was in the midst of one of the most remarkable championship runs in NASCAR history. A year later, Stewart and his Stewart-Haas team have just flat stunk in this year’s Chase.

After getting off to a decent start in the Chase, Stewart struggled and finished 20th at Dover. Then he caused a wreck and finished 22nd at Talladega. He struggled again and finished 13th at Charlotte.

At Martinsville, where Stewart jump-started his championship run with a win last year, Stewart struggled all day, got lapped twice and finished 27th. A year after winning the title, Stewart is 10th in the standings and could match the worse points finish of his career (11th).

Kevin Harvick: Harvick’s blown engine at Martinsville just added insult to injury for what has been a miserable season. A year after winning four races and finishing third in the Chase for the second consecutive season, Harvick is winless and has been terrible in the Chase, failing to score a single top-10 finish.

He was running well at Martinsville until his engine soured and finally blew with 25 laps left in the race. His 32nd-place finish was his worst of the season and dropped him to 11th in the standings.